Rotary electroplating barrel



Get. 6, 1964 w, BELKE 3,152,060

ROTARY ELECTROPLATING BARREL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 50, 1962 22 44 .95 Fig.2 45 0 Oct. 6, 1964 w. E. BELKE ROTARY ELECTROPLATING BARREL Filed April 30, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 152112722271" WILL/HM BEL/(f W 1 W- 'rIIIIIIlIIIIlIlllllllllllll United States Patent 3,152,060 R'GTARY ELECTROPLATING BL William E. Belke, Chicago, Ill; Lester L. Linguist and Ralph E. Belke, executors of said William E. Belke, deceased, assignors to Belke Manufacturing Company,

Chicago, 1th, a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 191,003 1 Claim. (Cl. 204213) The present invention relates to electroplating barrels, and is particularly concerned with barrels of the type in which the electrical connection to the articles within the barrel is accomplished without employing the usual dangling conductors extending into the barrel.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved electroplating barrel which is provided on its interior with a plurality of fixed electrodes carried by the Walls of the barrel and adapted to engage the articles being electroplated as the barrel rotates, and having electrical connections extending to the axis of the barrel, which is provided with an axially extending flexible insulated conductor which rotates with the barrel and extends upward to an electrical connector located well above the surface of the electrolyte in which the barrel is immersed, all of the electrical connections inside and outside the barrel being distinguished by the absence of any exposure to the electrolyte, being covered over all by initially plastic electrical insulation except at the exposed part of the electrodes inside the barrel.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved electrical connecting cable structure adapted to be connected to an electrical conducting spider at the end of an electroplating barrel at its axis and having flexible characteristics so that the cable may extend to a fixed connector at the top of the support for the barrel well out of the electrolyte in which the barrel is immersed and in which the connection from the cable to the spider, which carries current to the electrodes inside the barrel, is sealed against the access of electrolyte, preventing any possibility of corrosion or plating of the parts of the cable, which is adapted to rotate with the barrel, and which is covered over all with electric insulation, excluding the electrolyte from the cable and its electrically connected parts.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved electroplating barrel of the type having button contacts on its interior, which is adapted to be manutured economically, which is simple in construction, which has a minimum number of parts, and which is adapted to be used for a long period of time without any possibility of the electrolyte corroding or plating the electrical connections that extend from bus bars at the top of the barrel support to the buttons.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, of which there are two sheets,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an electroplating barrel assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view in partial section of a barrel assembly installed in a tank;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view of an electroplating barrel, taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the barrel end and connecting cable;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one of the conductor bars;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line 66 of FIG. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Patented get. 6, 1954 FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an improved flexible cable;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 9-9 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an end view taken from the right end of PEG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified cable.

Referring to the drawings,

19 indicates a metal tank lined with insulation and provided with bottom 11, end Walls 12 and 13, side walls 14, 15, forming a rectangular box. The tank carries on one end wall 12 an electric motor 16, having reducing gearing 17 for driving a horizontal shaft 18 having a driving pinion 19 adapted to be engaged by a driven pinion 29 on a barrel assembly, which is indicated in its entirety by the numeral 21.

The barrel assembly 21 includes a pair of upper horizontal frame members 22 and 23 located to be inside the end Walls 12 and 13 of the tank. The end frame members 22 and 23 are provided at their ends with a pair of supporting bus bar rods 24, of which each end frame member carries two.

The bus bar rods 24 are identical, and each has a threaded shank 25 passing through a bore 26 in the end frame member 22; and each has an annular shoulder 27 engaging outside the end frame member 22 so that the nut 28 may clamp the bus bar rod on the end frame member 22.

Each bus bar rod has a cylindrical body 29 for engaging a connector on the tank and a tapered collar 30 which is useful in guiding the cylindrical end 31 of the bus bar rod into a V-shaped groove or socket 32 located in an electrical connector 33 carried by the upper edge of the tank 10. There are four such connectors 33, two on each end wall for receiving the four bus bar rods 24, which support the barrel assembly 21 from the top of the tank.

34 indicates a ball bearing assembly carried by the end frame member 22 and another by end frame member 23 for supporting a horizontal shaft 35, which carries the pinion 20. The end frame members 22 and 23 each have an inwardly extending central arm 36 with an upwardly turned end 37 inside the tank; and the upwardly turned end is formed with a cylindrical bearing housing 38 in each case.

The shaft 35 extends through the bearings 39 and 40 in the bearing housing 38 and projects out each end from the end frame members 22 and 23.

A tubular shaft housing 41 has its end 42 secured in each bearing housing 38 and is provided with an eye bolt 43 located on its top, midway between the ends of the shaft housing 41, for lifting the barrel assembly.

The drive shaft 35 supports a small V-pulley 44, 45 at each end inside the tank and just beyond the bearing housings 38. This pulley is preferably made of inert plastic, such as Lucite. The V-pulleys 44 and 45 have a V-groove 46, which is preferably of the notched type, having teeth 47 extending upward into the groove 46, but having tooth spaces or notches 43 between the teeth 47, as shown in FIG. 3.

The assembly is preferably provided with a pair of notched V-belts 49, 50 depending from the two pulleys 44, 45 for supporting and driving an electroplating barrel indicated in its entirety by the numeral 51. The pulleys 44, 45 are keyed to the drive shaft 35.

The barrel assembly 21 includes an electroplating barrel 51 having a hexagonal side wall 52, comprising a rectangular sheet of inert plastic, such as Lucite, which has been bent by the application of heat at the corners 53, 54, 55 and 56 to form a hexagonal barrel with one open side at the edges 57, 58 of the sheet, which have been beveled to form a fiat supporting surface for a rectangular Lucite cover 59.

The side wall member 52 has plane end surfaces which are cemented integrally with the two end plates 60, 61, which are circular and of larger diameter than the maximum diameter of the wall member 52 so that the end plates project beyond the barrel corners 5356; and the periphery of each end plate is formed with a V-groove 62, 63 for receiving the two V-belts 49, 50.

The barrel 51 is supported by the V-belts 49, 50, which also rotate the barrel when driven by the drive shaft 35.

The barrel wall 52 has five sides 64, 65, 66, 67, 68; and the sides 64 and 68 are provided with a pair of longitudinally extending frame members 69, 70, which are cemented to the side walls 64, 68 and beveled at 71, 72 to provide a rectangular frame for the opening between the edges 57, 53.

The opening is closed by the cover 59, which comprises a rectangular sheet of the same plastic 73, having a pair of transversely extending reinforcing strips 74, each having a spacer block 75 cemented for engagement with the cover clamps 76, 77, 78, which are made of spring steel dipped in initially plastic insulation.

Each cover clamp has a straight body portion 79 and a pair of diagonal end portions 80, 81, which extend over the frame members 69, 70. The diagonal portion 81 of the cover clamp has an inwardly extending flange 82, which engages the shoulder 83 on the frame member 70, while the diagonal portion 80 is elongated and provided with a latching block 84 which engages the shoulder 85 on the frame member 69, but may be disengaged by pulling on the end 36 of the cover clamp.

One end plate 60 supports on its outer side an electrically conducting metal spider 37 having a central cylindrical body 38 and five radially extending arms 89, 90, 91, 92, 93. The cylindrical body 88 is provided with a tapered bore 94; and each of the arms 3993 is provided with an inwardly extending tubular formation 95 having a through bore 96 for receiving a screw bolt.

The arms 89-93 each extend to the center line of one of the sides 6468, where they support five transversely conducting copper bars 97, each of which is formed with a plurality of integral hexagonal enlargements 98; and the enlargements are located at each point where the bar is to support an electrode.

A screw bolt extends through the tubular formation 95 on each of the arms at each end of the barrel; and the screw bolts 99 are threaded into threaded bores 101 in the bars 97. Thus the spider supports the bars 97 outside the five sides of the barrel.

The bars 97 and the spider at the end of the barrel are covered overall with initially plastic insulation which is still resilient when solidified and adapted to exclude the electrolyte from the conducting metal.

Each bar has a plurality of lateral enlargements at the points where electrodes are to be secured, such as, for example, five enlargements on each bar, indicated at 98, each of which has a through bore 102 for receiving the electrode bolts 103, which pass through the bars 97 and through the side walls 6468 of the barrel and have the electrode 104 exposed on the inside of the barrel.

Each electrode bolt may have a head 104 forming the electrode, which may take many different forms. For example, the electrode 104 in FIG. 1 has a square head with a rounded end 105 and a threaded shank 106.

The threaded shank 106 supports a plastic Lucite disc 107 acting as a washer and spacing the head 104 from the wall 66 of the barrel, which has an enlarged aperture 108 about the threaded shank 106.

The shank 106 supports a resilient insulating rubber sleeve 109 having a through bore for passing the shank and having a resilient cup shaped end formation 110, the edge 111 of which engages in the plastic 112 on the bar 97 to establish a liquid-tight engagement with the insulation on the bar, excluding electrolyte. The sleeve 109 is expanded by the compressive action of the nut 113 on the shank until the sleeve 109 establishes a liquid-tight seal in the enlarged bore 108 about the shank 106.

The threaded shank 106 extends beyond the nut 113 and is provided with a Lucite cap 114 having a threaded bore 115 for receiving the threaded end of the shank 106 and having an enlarged bore 116 about the nut 113.

The cap 114 is threaded on the end of the shank, covering the nut 113 and having a liquid-tight seal at its edge 117, where it engages the plastic insulation.

The two end frame members 22 and 23 are provided with a pair of depending channel members 120 and 121 with their channels facing inwardly toward each other. The channels are spaced from each other by tie bolts 122 and 123 and the channels are bolted to the upper frames 22 and 23.

The depending channels at each end of the barrel provide a pair of tracks for slidably and rotatably guiding a pair of Lucite discs 124 for permitting the barrel to rotate while it is supported by the pair of V-belts on the V-pulleys 44 and 45.

The end plates 60 and 61 each support the rotating discs 124 which are bolted to the end plates by bolts 125 through a spacer 126.

At the left end of the barrel, illustrated in FIG. 4, the barrel is provided with an insulated rubber covered flexible cable 127 which is adapted to rotate with the 'barrel.

The end plate 61 is provided with an axial socket 128; and the central body 87 of the spider has an inwardly extending metal hub 129. The hub 129 has a tapered bore 130, which is adapted to receive a tapered cylindrical contact 131, which is provided with a stub shaft 132 threaded into a bore 133.

The hub 129 has an aperture 134 passing the threaded shaft 132 and a threaded nut 135 engages the inside of the end plate 49 and draws the tapered contact 131 into the bore 130, fixedly securing the conductor cable to the end of the barrel.

The threaded stub bolt 132 has its threaded end engaging in a threaded bore 136 in a Lucite covered nut 137 which has an enlarged bore 138 so that this covered nut may rotate about the metal nut and protect it from the electrolyte.

The Lucite nut engages the barrel wall at its inner face 139. The tapered contact 131 at the axis of the cable is enclosed by a rubber insulating plug 140 having an enlarged circular body 141 in which the tapered contact 131 is molded and enclosed.

The molded head 140 has a pair of Lucite pins 142 which extend from the rubber head into the metal body of the spider hub 129, thereby insuring the rotation of the cable with the barrel.

The insulated cable comprises a flexible stranded conductor cable 143 covered with rubber 144 which extends up to a point 145 well above the level of the electrolyte. The conductor cable has a solid copper contact 146 in which the end 147 of the stranded conductor is brazed.

The contact 146 is elongated and provided with an annular collar 148 secured by a set screw 149 to the end of the contact 146. The cable contact 146 is adapted to rotate in a cylindrical bore 150 of a stirrup 151 having a pair of supporting flanges 152 with through bores 153.

Screw bolts extending through the bores 153 into the upper frame member 22 secure the stirrup 151 to the upper frame member to which the stirrup and cable end is connected electrically.

Thus the cable 127 is adapted to rotate with the barrel; and all parts of the cable are enclosed and insulated and sealed against leakage of the electrolyte into the barrel. The electric cable 127 carries current through the spider to each of the bars on the outside of the barrel and from the bars to the electrodes on the inside of the barrel.

Referring to FIG. 7, this is an improved type of cable in which the cable is provided with a stranded conductor D 155, which is spirally wrapped with a stainless steel helical spring 156 which is embedded in the rubber covering 157. The spiral spring has its turns directed in such direction that when the cable assembly 153 is rotated by the barrel the spring tends to tighten about the electric cable.

In another embodiment of the invention the cable may be provided with spiral springs, one on top of another, wound in the opposite direction, so that the cable may be rotated in either direction, which will cause one of the springs to tighten about the stranded conductor 155, as shown in FIG. 10.

The threaded stud 132 is provided with the same nut 135 which draws the tapered contact 131 into the hub 129 of the spider. The metal nut 135 is enclosed by a Lucite nut 137 threaded on the bolt 132 to enclose the metal parts from the electrolyte.

The operation of the invention is as follows. When the electroplating barrel assembly is placed in the tank, the bus bars 24 are guided into the V-shaped connector supports and connected in the circuit, which includes the end frame member 22, which is connected to the flexible cable 127, the lower end of which is fixedly secured to the electroplating barrel at its axis.

The cable is connected through the spider to the exterior conducting bars coated with insulation; and the conductor bars are in electrical connection with the buttons 104 on the inside of the barrel.

All parts of the cable are sealed against the electrolyte so that there are no moving parts which could become plated or corroded.

Heretofore the electrical current has been transmitted primarily to the center of a plating cylinder with a sliding connection which was exposed to the electrolyte; but the present invention transmits the current through a cable, which is fixedly secured and sealed, to the electroplating barrel at its axis so that the flexible cable rotates with the electroplating cylinder; and the cable extends to a distribution point above the solution level.

The upper end of the cable is provided with a rotating contact which is supported by an electrical fixed contact having a bore above which a conducting sleeve is secured on the cable contact.

With the present barrel assembly there are no parts which have moving connections in the solution which can corrode or freeze or become plated due to leakage, as the fixed cable connection to the barrel rotates with the barrel and all pairs can be covered and sealed and insulated permanently from the upper end of the cable to the buttons inside the barrel.

It will thus 'be obse ed that I have invented an improvide electroplating barrel assembly which eliminates all of the short-comings of the prior art devices.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An electroplating barrel assembly, comprising an insulating barrel provided with a supporting trunnion at each of its ends, and located centrally and axially of said barrel, each of said trunnions supporting a rotatable guide roller, a supporting frame for said barrel, said frame having an upper drive shaft extending parallel to the axis of said barrel and provided with a V-pulley at each end of said drive shaft, said barrel having circular end walls each of which is formed with a V-groove in its periphery, and a V-belt for each end of the barrel, each V-belt being endless and the V-belts being located in and about the V-groove of each end of the barrel, and also extending about the V-pulleys carried by said drive shaft, and supporting said barrel from said frame by said belts, said barrel having on its exterior, a plurality of longitudinally extending bars of electrically conducting metal, said bars being secured to a plurality of spaced electrodes extending through the walls of said barrel, and the electrodes being located to contact body and a radial arm carried by said body and connected to each bar, and an electrically conducting flexible insulated cable having its lower end fixedly secured to the barrel at the lower end of said cable and having a conducting connection to the body of said spider, said cable rotating with said barrel, and extending upward to said frame, said cable having a conducting collar in electrical connection with the conductor of said cable and being supported at its upper end by a fixed collar on said frame, the fixed collar providing an electrical connection to the articles being electroplated in said bar-rel, said cable flexing as the barrel rotates.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,916,465 Dawson July 4, 1933 2,921,009 Jenks et al Jan. 12, 1960 

